First filing deadline passes, leaving some doors open

While I sometimes complain about election cycles and all the jawing that goes on, I do look forward to filing deadlines and seeing who’s in and who’s not, especially on the local level.
    The first filing deadline arrived Tuesday, when incumbents had to decide if they were running again or not. Several longtime office-holders, especially on the county level, will not be running for re-election. Starting in 2023, new individuals will fill the county assessor, clerk, treasurer and one commissioner seat.
    Two incumbents chose not to run again for city of Imperial seats, including the mayor and one council member.
    It means new people will be directing policy and government, affecting all of us.
    It’s a different story with Chase County and Wauneta-Palisade school boards. All of the incumbents have filed. It will be interesting to see who out there will put their names on the line, too. With so much going on in our schools—brought to the forefront last year with the state school board’s health standards proposals—I’m betting we’ll see some others run for local boards of education this year. It’s going to be interesting, too, to see what happens with the Nebraska state school board and if incumbents will hold on to their positions there.
    You have the chance to meet one of the state school board candidates for this district, Elizabeth Tegtmeier, who will be in Wauneta March 6. There’s also a Republican candidate for Nebraska Governor, Brett Lindstrom, who will be in Imperial this Saturday afternoon. See stories on their appearances elsewhere in this week’s newspaper.
    It’s smart that the incumbent deadline comes two weeks before other candidates have to file—by the way, that deadline is March 1. Incumbents have a natural advantage with name recognition in most cases. Those thinking about challenging an incumbent for his/her office should know if that person is seeking re-election.
    If you’re thinking about running for an office, now is the time to decide. A lot of incumbents aren’t running—maybe this is your open door.